Q: How many METCO students are there in the districts?
A: Each district has determined a maximum seat allocation number. METCO students may be admitted at this maximum number, but METCO enrollment may also be decreased at the discretion of the districts to compensate for increases in resident student enrollment. The METCO enrollment in Cohasset is 45 students.
Q: Are resident students denied space due to the placement of a METCO student?
A: No. The placement of METCO students is based on available setting in each school district.
Q: Is there a waiting list for METCO?
A: No. There are prescribed times throughout the year that families are able to sign up for the program. If you aren't enrolled, you must reapply. The waitlist of years past, is no more.
Q: How many students are there in METCO?
A: At any given time, there are approximately 3,300 students participating in district METCO programs. This number has remained pretty consistent.
Q: In which grades are METCO students placed?
A: METCO generally places students in grades K-12; however, decisions regarding grade level acceptance and placement are generally left to the discretion of the districts and can vary annually based on various factors including, but not limited to, individual class enrollment sizes.
Q: Is there a difference between METCO, Incorporated and the local METCO programs?
A: METCO, Incorporated is the service provider for METCO district programs throughout the suburban Boston area.
Q: Where is METCO, Incorporated located?
A: METCO, Inc. is located in the heart of the Roxbury community at 11 Roxbury Street, Roxbury, MA 02119. The phone number is (617) 427-1545. You can also access their website at www.metcoinc.org.
Q: Are there support systems in place for METCO students in the receiving districts?
A: METCO districts employ a Director to act as a liaison for the district, the transportation provider, METCO students, and METCO parents/guardians. There may also be other support staff including, but not limited to, bus monitor(s), secretarial staff, aide(s), and tutor(s). Members of the METCO staff, while generally hired by the individual districts, are usually paid exclusively from the METCO grant funds. METCO students enjoy the same access to all district services as resident students.
Q: Who oversees transportation?
A: Cohasset METCO receives transportation services through Local Motion of Boston. Any questions regarding bus routes or bus expectations, should be directed to Aleisa Gittens-Carle, at 781-383-6117.
Q: Is it true that some METCO students must be ready to board their bus by 5:30 AM?
A: Bus routes are prepared by each individual district based on school opening times. In general, students attending high school (and sometimes middle school as well) through METCO board buses between 7:00 AM and 8:15 AM.
Q: Will my child be the only person of color in the classroom?
A: Since many METCO programs across the Commonwealth are relatively small in student numbers, and since the minority population in receiving districts is usually minimal, there is a possibility that your child could be the only person of color in his or her classroom. However, participating in METCO districts try to maintain a heightened sensitivity to the concerns of all students in general, and METCO students and their families in particular, and continue to establish and implement programs and policies that help alleviate alienation and isolation of all students within their population.
Q: What is expected of METCO parents?
A: Despite the distance to a participating community or other personal circumstances, METCO parents are expected to participate fully in their child’s total academic and social growth experiences. It is expected that parents will make themselves available to attend all scheduled meetings and functions at their child’s school, pick up their children at school should the need arise (for instance, in the case of sudden illness or school suspension), provide transportation to and from school in the event of an emergency and attend scheduled METCO parent meetings during the course of the academic year.
Q: Do parents get to choose which METCO community their child is enrolled in?
A: While parents/guardians can request a particular community, there is no guarantee that they will receive that community. Because placement is on a space available basis, parents/guardians are given the district that has a seat available in their child's grade. A parent/guardian can decline placement for any reason and reapply at any given moment. Placement preference, by community, may be given to siblings at the discretion of the Director/Coordinator. Placement in the case of siblings is still based on waiting list eligibility and available seating.
Q: Are there criteria for accepting students into METCO?
A: Schools in the participating METCO districts are public schools and do not have entrance requirements for resident students, then, by law, any student whose parent signs him/her up for METCO is eligible for placement. No child can be denied placement by any participating district for reasons of attendance, behavior, or special needs - except in the case where a student receiving services and accommodations through an IEP (Individual Education Plan) requires a placement that the district does not offer.
Q: Do METCO students need to have a specific grade point average to qualify to participate in the program?
A: No. METCO is open to any student whose parent/guardian who wish to enroll them. Students enter the METCO program from a variety of early childhood and academic settings, which include day care as well as public, private, and parochial institutions. Since METCO was designed to help achieve racial balance in the participating districts in which the students are placed, students who enroll are predominantly of African, Hispanic, and Asian descent.
Q: Are Special Education students eligible to participate in METCO?
A: Students with special education needs are eligible to participate in METCO if the accommodations and services needed by that student are offered in the participating district.
Q: What happens to a METCO student on an Individual Education Plan who needs accommodations that cannot be met in the participating district school?
A: The rules governing Special Education are subject to frequent change; therefore, current guidelines posted on the Massachusetts Department of Education web site, located at www.doe.mass.edu, should be consulted on an individual, case-by-case basis.
Q: What is the total length of a METCO student’s day?
A: The length of the day for a METCO student varies based on his or her participation in outside/extracurricular activities. Their day may start at 5:00am and end at 10:30pm.
Q: What is the METCO placement procedure in my district?
A: Placement procedures may vary among districts. However, answers to specific placement procedure questions can be obtained from METCO, Inc. at (617)427-1545. All families interested in participating in the METCO program must begin by filling out an application at METCO, Inc. which is located at 11 Roxbury Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 or by going to the website: www.metcoinc.org.
